# Communication Development in Children with Cerebral Palsy

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2024 · $648,879

## Abstract

Project Summary
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have a range of communication ability profiles. The majority have the speech
motor disorder, dysarthria, which almost always results in reduced speech intelligibility. Heterogeneity among
children with CP poses challenges for the study of speech and language development, necessitating the use of
prospective longitudinal methods wherein each child can serve as their own control. We began such work 15
years ago, following 90 children with CP, with the long-term goal of generating theoretically driven, empirically
validated, longitudinal models of speech and language development that can be used to predict outcomes,
guide treatment decisions, and test interventions for children with CP. To date, we have developed and
validated prospective, data-driven models of speech and language development, and created a clinical
speech-language profile group paradigm for children with CP. Our research has resulted in the first published
growth curves for speech intelligibility, and language comprehension, leading to the ability to predict later
speech and language outcomes with a high level of accuracy based on performance at only 3 years of age.
Our data have revealed that children with CP have a protracted developmental timeframe for the acquisition of
speech, with many still making intelligibility improvements through the age of 15 years. Despite major gains in
our understanding of speech and language development and in the application of this knowledge to clinical
decision making, progress is limited by two key barriers, addressed in this application: a.) The upper limits of
speech and language development after 15 years of age in CP have not been studied; therefore, we are
unable to generate comprehensive growth models that encompass all of development and include young adult
outcomes. b.) Treatment options for improving speech intelligibility in children with CP are limited and have
primarily focused on remediating speech subsystem deficits. Interventions focused on using augmentative and
alternative communication (AAC) strategies to supplement speech have not been examined in children, but
findings from adult CP studies are promising. In this renewal, we will collect new longitudinal data on our
existing cohort of youth with CP through the age of 20 years. We will also study 100 new children with CP in a
Phase I speech supplementation intervention study. Aims are: 1.)To quantify longitudinal change in speech
and language development between the ages of 2 and 20 years in children with CP. 2.)To develop and test
basic elements of a speech supplementation intervention to improve intelligibility in children with CP (Phase I
behavioral clinical trial). This work will complete the development and validation of longitudinal models of
speech and language growth in children with CP to 20 years of age. Results will enable the prediction of
outcomes for children with CP between 2 and 20 years, which will have direct ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10876827
- **Project number:** 2R01DC009411-16
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine C Hustad
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $648,879
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2008-06-01 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10876827

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10876827, Communication Development in Children with Cerebral Palsy (2R01DC009411-16). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10876827. Licensed CC0.

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